5 AM Jitters: The Wintermis Front — Day Eight

Saturday, December 20, 2025 — 5:00 AM

I’ve been up since 4 AM today to clean. The Shreveport Cabin is scrubbed, the floorboards are gleaming, and the brass is polished until it reflects the impossible blue light coming from the backyard. The inspection is hours away, but a mundane inspector is the least of my concerns. 

At 5 AM, the moon is still high, the Hedge Gate Portal is wide open, and the "thinning" of Wintermis has turned my property into a beachhead.

Through the rift, I can see The Tygerian Isles of Zimrala. The air smells like ozone and ancient jungle. But the warmth of the Isles is being choked out by a creeping chill from the north. The Shadowfrost has turned his gaze toward us.

I. The Enemy: The Trinity of Thrivaldi

Sitting in his dark fortress on Thrivaldi, the Shadowfrost is playing a long game. He isn't just a ghost; he is a triple-threat master of the dark arts. He rarely shows himself, but his fingerprints are all over the frost on my windows.

Aspect of Power	Type	Tactical Danger
Ice Demon	Elemental	Command over absolute zero; can freeze blood in an instant.
Shadow Demon	Dimensional	Moves through shadows; physical walls are no barrier to him.
Full Necromancer	Undead Lord	Every Snow Wraith is a puppet tied to his direct will.

II. The Siege: The Frozen Lost

The Snow Wraiths are swarming the perimeter. They are the "Frozen Lost"—men who died in the cold and were risen by the Shadowfrost to serve him. They crave the warmth of my coffee and the heat of the Iron Steed’s 428 Cobra Jet.

Entity	Monster Rating	Combat Dice	UDR	Special Trait
Snow Wraith	80	9D6 + 40	NN (2/10)	Icy Touch: Drains 2 CON per successful hit.

III. The Wall: Guardians of the Threshold

We aren't defenseless. Standing at both ends of the Hedge Gate are the anchors of the Vegetable Kingdom and the Apex of the Tygerian Isles.

Guardian	Location	Combat Adds	Role
The Sight Unseen Spirit	Cabin Roof	+130	Intercepting Wraiths with Tygerian steel.
The Rooted King	Fenwood Forest	+750	100ft Sentinel born from the Zimralan Moon.
The Ancestors	Zimralan Side	???	Ancient Giants holding the other side of the Rift.

The 5 AM Vigil

I’m standing by the heavy oak door, looking at the Wintermis Wreath I scavenged from barbed wire, moss, and .50 cal brass. Because of the portal, it’s pulsing with a protective blue hum. Every time a Snow Wraith touches the porch, the wreath flares, and the Sight Unseen Spirit (Kuro-Khan) drops like a silver lightning bolt to finish the job.

The Shadowfrost is watching through the eyes of his thralls. He sees a clean cabin. He sees a polished Ranger. He sees a Hedge Gate that won't budge because the Ancestors are anchoring the roots.

The sun will be up soon, and the portal will dim, but the war for the Tygerian Isles just found its way to Shreveport. I’ve got my Tiger Force Knife in my belt and my hand on the door. Let the inspectors come—they won't see the demons, but they'll see a man who is ready for anything.

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Product Identity & Legal

The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The Tygerian Isles on Zimrala, the Hedge Gate Portal, the Tree Giant Sentinel and his Ancestors, the Fortress of Thrivaldi, the Shadowfrost, and the Sight Unseen Spirit. The specific "Hedge Wizard" persona and the Iron Steed. Monsters! Monsters! is a trademark of its respective owner. The statistics and lore provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest material for the Tygerian Isles campaign setting. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.

4 AM Jitters: The Wintermis Breach — Day Eight

 

Saturday, December 20th, 2025 — 4:48 AM

The cabin is so clean it feels alien, but that’s not what’s keeping the hair standing up on my arms. The moon has fully aligned with the Hedge Gate Portal, and the "thinning" of Wintermis has turned my backyard into a bridge to The Tygerian Isles of Zimrala.

I’m sitting here with the brass polished and the coffee steaming, feeling the Isles breathe. It’s a heavy, tropical heat that clashes with the Shreveport frost, smelling of ancient ozone and wet earth. The pressure in the room is rising—the portal is wide open, and the lore is set.

I. The Double-Sided Guard

I’m not worried about the portal collapsing; the Ether Dragons built these rifts to last. What I’m worried about is the "slip-through." When the gate is this wide, things that aren't invited sometimes try to hitch a ride on the blue light.

The Watch	Entity	Location	Status
The Internal Guard	The Sight Unseen Spirit	Cabin Roof / Perimeter	Standing watch with +130 Adds.
The External Guard	Rooted King’s Ancestors	Zimralan Side	Anchoring the rift with crystalline roots.
The Target	The Shreveport Cabin	The Nexus	Scrubbed, warded, and glowing blue.

II. The 4 AM Breach: What Slips Through?

While the Ancestors keep the massive Tygerian predators back, the smaller things—the Isle-Mites and the Spirit-Spores—tend to drift through. I can see them now, tiny sparks of blue light floating around the Iron Steed.

If an inspector walked in right now, they’d think the house was haunted. To me, it’s just the Isles reminding me where I truly belong. The Sight Unseen Spirit is currently busy swatting away a Fen-Wraith that tried to use the portal’s shadow to creep toward the porch. He’s keeping it locked down, but the energy is so thick I can taste the copper on my tongue.

III. The Final Polish

I’ve got my Vietnam-era Tiger Force Knife on the table next to the coffee. On Day Eight of Wintermis, you don't just clean for the inspectors; you prepare for the moment the gate reaches maximum output. The Hedge Gate is humming a Tygerian war song, and the Rooted King in the distance is pulsing in sync with my own heartbeat.

The cabin is a fortress. The Spirit is ready. I’m just a man with a cup of coffee standing between two worlds.

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Product Identity & Legal

The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The Tygerian Isles on Zimrala, the Hedge Gate Portal, the Tree Giant Sentinel and his Ancestors, the Fenwood Forest, and the Sight Unseen Spirit. The specific "Hedge Wizard" persona and the Iron Steed. Monsters! Monsters! is a trademark of its respective owner. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.

3 AM Whispers: Day Eight of Wintermis — The Gate to Zimrala

The Guardian The Sight Unseen Spirit. The Rooted King’s ancestors. They stand watch at both ends of the rift.      

Saturday, December 20th, 2025 — 4:27 AM

The coffee is strong, the cabin is squared away for inspection, and the frost on the windows is forming patterns that look like ancient Tygerian script. People ask why this cabin feels different—it’s because of what’s sitting just fifty yards past the tree line: The Hedge Gate Portal.

This isn't a metaphor. It is a jagged, shimmering rift in the fabric of the Bayou that ties the Shreveport Cabin directly to The Tygerian Isles of Zimrala. On Day Eight of Wintermis, that portal is humming at a frequency that makes the Iron Steed vibrate in the driveway.                                                                                                                            

I. The Anchor: The Hedge Gate Portal

Wintermis is the time when the "thin places" between worlds grow transparent. Through the portal, the air doesn't smell like stagnant swamp; it smells like the ozone and spice-blooms of the Isles.

Feature	Shreveport Side	Zimralan Side	The Connection
The Gate	A tangled arch of Fenwood briars.	A massive stone megalith in the Isles.	Maintained by the Ether Dragons.
The Pulse	Cold, blue Bayou frost.	Raw, crystalline Zimralan energy.	The source of the Blue Light in the wreath.
The Guardian	The Sight Unseen Spirit.	The Rooted King’s ancestors.	They stand watch at both ends of the rift.

III. The Lunar Key 

The cabin is silent, the floorboards are cold, and the coffee is the only thing keeping the exhaustion at bay. I’m standing by the window, watching the moon climb high over the Shreveport pines. This is the moment when the mundane world ends and the Tygerian Isles take over.

At exactly 3 AM, the moon hangs directly over the Hedge Gate Portal. As the lunar light hits the rift, the gray Bayou fog catches fire with a ghostly, crystalline blue. This isn't the sun’s warmth; it’s the cold, piercing clarity of Zimrala bleeding into the Louisiana night.

The Lunar Alignment

The Ether Dragons didn't build these gates to open for the sun. They built them to respond to the moon—the same moon whose "Fall" birthed the legends of Zimrala. When the moonlight strikes the portal, the connection to the Tygerian Isles becomes a physical bridge.

Lunar Phase	Portal Status	The Sight Unseen	Effect on the Cabin
3 AM Moonlight	Full Alignment / Wide Open	Kuro-Khan becomes semi-transparent.	The barbed-wire wreath begins to hum.
The Blue Glow	Crystalline Zimralan Energy	Enhanced Perception (DEX +10)	Wards off all Fen-Wraiths for 100 yards.

Under the moon’s gaze, the Hedge Gate starts to "breathe." I can see the silhouettes of the Tygerian jungles through the rift—monolithic trees that dwarf the Shreveport pines. The Rooted King out in the forest has turned his canopy toward the light, his bark drinking in the lunar energy like water.

The Sight Unseen Spirit is standing right at the threshold of the gate. In this light, he looks like he’s made of moonbeams and shadow, his backward hands weaving a pattern in the air to keep the portal's pressure from blowing the windows out of the cabin.

IV. The Whispers of the Isles

As I sit here, the Hedge Gate is "breathing." Each pulse of light from the portal brings a telepathic whisper from the Tygerian Isles. It’s a reminder that while I’m cleaning for a mundane inspection here, my soul is anchored to the Warrior-Wizards of Zimrala.

The Sight Unseen Spirit (Kuro-Khan) doesn't just patrol the yard; he filters the energy coming through that gate. He ensures that only the Wintermis blessings pass through, and the "Unknown World" horrors stay on the other side of the veil.

V. Day Eight of Wintermis

The Day Eight Vigil

I’m sitting here with the brass I’ve polished, watching it reflect that impossible blue light. The inspection is hours away, but right now, I’m the only man on Earth watching a moon-gate pulse with the heart of another world.

The Dual Guard: Standing Watch at the Veil

On Day Eight of Wintermis, the connection is so strong you can see through the shimmer. Standing at the threshold are the protectors who ensure the "Unknown World" stays out while the Wintermis light flows in.

The Guardian	Location	Origin / Bloodline	Tactical Role
The Sight Unseen Spirit	Shreveport Side	Tygerian Rakshasa Paragon	Stealth perimeter; filters the Bayou mist.
Rooted King’s Ancestors	Zimralan Side	Ancient Tree Giant Elders	Anchors the portal with 1,000-year-old roots.
The Rift	The In-Between	Ether Dragon Mechanics	Maintained by the Multiverse Portals.

II. The Moonlit Vigil

As the moon shines on the portal, Kuro-Khan (The Sight Unseen Spirit) stands perfectly still on the Bayou side. He’s a blur of silver fur and shadow, his backward hands raised to stabilize the rift. Directly across from him, visible through the blue haze, are the Ancestors of the Rooted King. These are the giants of the Tygerian Isles—massive, sentient towers of wood and crystal that have stood watch since the moon first fell.

They stand at both ends of the rift, a bridge of ancient power. They don't speak with voices; they communicate through the vibration of the earth. I can feel it in the floorboards I just polished—a low, rhythmic thrum that says: The Way is Barred to the Unworthy.

III. IV The Day Eight Ritual

I’ve finished the wreath. Because of the Hedge Gate, the barbed wire isn't just rusting metal anymore. It’s absorbing the Zimralan blue light bleeding through the portal. By the time the inspectors get here, that wreath will be a glowing beacon of Tygerian protection.

IV. The Day Eight Blessing

My barbed-wire wreath is drinking in the lunar blue light. Because the Ancestors are pulsing on the other side, the wreath is beginning to emit its own protective hum. The inspection is coming, but with the Sight Unseen Spirit at my back and the Rooted King’s Ancestors holding the Zimralan line, this cabin is the safest place in two worlds.

The moon is beginning to tilt. The gate is holding. The Ranger is ready.

As The Tygerian Isles are calling, and for a few minutes at 3 AM, I’m already there.

The inspection is a formality. The real work is keeping the gate stable and the spirit of the Isles alive in the heart of Louisiana.

Coffees drained. The Moon is coming up over the portal. Time to move on to 4am! Yours for now Captain Hedges

Product Identity & Legal

The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The Tygerian Isles on Zimrala, the Hedge Gate Portal, the Tree Giant Sentinel, the Fenwood Forest, and the Sight Unseen Spirit. The specific "Hedge Wizard" persona and the Iron Steed. Day Eight of Wintermis, the 12 days of Wintermis, Spirit unseen.

Monsters! Monsters! is a trademark of its respective owner. Ken St Andre and used with permission© 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.                                                                            

                                             

🍬 Tygerian Isles: Day 7 at 5am of the Wintermis Holiday of Lights

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The amber mists have descended upon the Tygerian Isles on the world of Zimrala, signaling the seventh sunrise of Wintermis. To a traveler, it might look like a simple change in the weather, but to a Tygerian, the scent of cinnamon and warm molasses on the wind means only one thing: The Great Candy Maker has arrived.

🧙‍♀️ The Legend of the Confectionary Archmage

Deep within the spice-groves, a shadow nearly 100 feet tall begins to stir. This is Mamma Ginger Tree, a sentient protector of the Vegetable Kingdom. Born from the roots of the world when crystal meteors struck Zimrala during the Fall of the Moon, she is part tree, part titan, and pure magic.

She doesn't speak with a voice, but with a telepathic warmth that feels like a hug from a grandmother. She carries the Gingersnap Grimoire, a massive, iron-bound book of recipes. During Wintermis, she uses this ancient focus to manifest the "Day of the Noble Paw," sharing candy-covered nuts and holiday Caramel Popcorn Balls with every cub and elder in the Isles.

🏮 The Amber Lantern Ceremony

As twilight falls, the Tygerian clans gather along the coastlines and village perimeters for the Amber Lantern Ceremony. They light hand-carved lanterns fueled by scented oils that mimic the glow of the crystal meteors that first gave the Tree Giants life.

By raising these lanterns, the Tygerians guide Mamma Ginger Tree toward their community hearths. In return, she uses her telepathy to project visions of the "Great Harvest" into the minds of the villagers, ensuring that no one feels the bite of hunger or the cold of isolation during the holiday. It is a moment of pure Restoration, where the barrier between the plant kingdom and the Tygerian people vanishes in a glow of golden light.

🎲 The Mechanics of a Matriarch (Monsters! Monsters! 2.7)

MAMMA GINGER TREE	TREE GIANT CONFECTIONARY ARCHMAGE
Attributes	STR: 200 | CON: 150 | INT: 16 | WIZ (Kremm): 80
Combat Stats	Adds: +285 | Monster Rating (MR): 600 | Deadliness: 5/10
Special Traits	Telepathy: Mentally communicates with all plants and sentient beings.
Resistance	Kremm Shield: Magical spells fail unless the caster expends > 80 WIZ.
The Gift	Orchard of Orphans: Drops 1d6 Gingerbread Kids to act as familiars.

📜 Spells & Confections

SPELL NAME	2.7 REFERENCE	EFFECT DESCRIPTION
Molten Caramel	Take That, You Fiend	A blast of boiling sugar dealing 16 (INT) damage.
Hard Bake	Armor	A crystalline sugar glaze providing +10 Armor Rating.
Taffy Trap	Glue You	A 10ft patch of binding, supernatural saltwater taffy.
Choco-Mountain	Wall of Iron	Ridges of fudge erupting from the earth to block paths.

⚒️ Tools of the Trade

ITEM	TYPE	PROPERTIES
Branch of Bitter-Sweet	Great Club	10D6 Damage; Crafted from ancient Dark Chocolate Wood.
Rolling Pin	Mace	3D6+2 Damage; Enchanted Hard-Oak that flattens constructs.
Gingersnap Grimoire	Arcane Focus	Edible pages made of wafer; +5 bonus to Magic Saves.

🐯 A Note to the Timeline

As Mamma Ginger Tree shakes her branches, dropping gingerbread scouts to guide lost travelers home, the Tygerians gather at the shoreline. They light the amber lanterns, letting the glow reflect off the soda-lakes. Whether you are on the porch of a cabin in Shreveport or the shores of Thrivaldis, the message of Wintermis is the same: Community, Restoration, and a little bit of sweetness to get through the dark.

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⚖️ Product Identity & Legal

The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, the Tygerian Isles, the Wintermis Holiday and its mechanics, the Ginger-Blight Tree Giant, Mamma Ginger Tree, Mamma Gooey, and the Gingersnap Grimoire. Monsters! Monsters! is a trademark of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press and is used with permission. The statistics provided herein are unofficial fan content compatible with the Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 system. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.